Money to fund redesign may come from city's UEZ fund

The city is preparing a request for proposal [RFP] for vendors to submit bids to upgrade the Asbury Park website.

The RFP outlines what the city seeks to accomplish in the redesign, which includes enhancement to the overall online presence and expansion of the information provided on the site, cityofasburypark.com. In addition, the RFP delineates what software solutions must be provided in order to deliver a fully operational website.

Councilwoman Amy Quinn at last Wednesday’s council meeting introduced the matter.

“In my opinion, I am willing to go out to bid on the website as soon as possible,” she said in the meeting.

Quinn, a lawyer, drafted a preliminary RFP which she and city attorney Frederick Raffetto will evaluate to submit to the council for further review.

The RFP will include a maximum amount the website developer can be paid, called a bid threshold, but the number is not set yet, Quinn said.

Money to fund the redesign may come out of monies left over from a grant provided by the state’s Urban Enterprise Zone [UEZ] program, Quinn said. The UEZ helps to revitalize urban communities through business development.

“Hopefully we can use that money to fund the redesign of the website,” she said.

No determination has been made yet insofar as how the online content would be managed going forward.

“Down the line, we’d like to have a communications director that would update the website, take care of the content management, and also facilitate communications with different populations throughout the city,” Quinn said.